Bushcraft

BushcraFt

Do you want to get back to nature? Learn about how to survive in your natural surroundings? Then a bushcraft activity is for you. There are opportunities to create shelters, make fires ‘for a purpose’ and join in campsite cooking. Under supervision, groups can work with a range of different tools to whittle and work with wood. There are opportunites to spend a night under the stars bivvying out or in one of our tipees.

Enjoy being part of nature and fending for yourself

"I really enjoyed building the fire, and the pancakes were so yummy! I even manged to flip one over in the pan"

Finlay Davies

Fire

Lighting fires provides a fantastic opportunity to look at safe and responsible fire lighting techniques. We make sure we ‘leave no trace’ after we have used a particular site. We can look at different trees and find the best fallen branches as fuel for our fire. This can be a perfect introduction to using the natural environment responsibly, to learn about a variety of survival skills. It can also be a great addition for those students who have already gained some experience of this environment through the Forest Schools programme. A fire is often incorporated into a canoe journey on the Menai Straits.

Outdoor Cooking

We will use the fire to cook on. This can be simply finding green sticks to toast marshmallows but often be cooking pancakes, a great lunch time treat as part of a canoe journey! For longer courses we can look at skinning a rabbit or baking bread using the hot embers.

Shelter Building & Whittling

Using what wood we find the groups can create shelters of all sizes. These may be small for emergency cover or large enough to spend a night out among the trees.

Whittling is also popular, teaching safe practice and use of knives. The group can create pointed sticks for marshmallows or decorative items like flowers or more practical tools.

Learning Outcomes

For Outdoor Education Courses

Learn about the natural environment and promote minimising impact we have upon nature.

Unstructured time to freely explore the outdoors.

Work together as a team to look after each other and complete common goals.

Bushcraft Courses

Bushcraft forms part of our outdoor education courses at Arete. Through the outdoor adventures, and residential stay, we incorporate a range of educational benefits for the pupils. It is often incorporated into a canoe journey, but can also be run as a stand alone activity.

Courses of all lengths available throughout the year. A dedicated and experienced instructor is allocated per group. They will tailor the outdoor education programme, that will be flexible to adjust to pupil progression and weather.

Costs: As an example, a 5 day fully catered course starts from just £235 per pupil for courses in November – February.

How to Book: Please email info@aretecentre.co.uk or use our contact form. Let us know the time of year, approximate size of course, year group and any aspirations or learning objectives you may have.

All of our activities, including bushcraft, can be booked as a private session for any type of group. Bushcraft is normally combined with one other activity for a full multi-activity day with a canoe journey being the most practical and popular.

Costs: Regardless of activity combinations, £50 per person for a full day of activity, £40 per person for half day of activity.Minimum payment of £200 for a full day or £150 for a half day of activity.

We run Gold DofE Residential courses and Summer Camps during the holidays. Bushcraft can form a part of this 5 day multi-activity course. The accommodation is fully catered. You will meet like-minded individuals and have a great week of adventure.

Bushcraft forms part of our outdoor education courses at Arete. Through the outdoor adventures, and residential stay, we incorporate a range of educational benefits for the pupils. It is often incorporated into a canoe journey, but can also be run as a stand alone activity.

Courses of all lengths available throughout the year. A dedicated and experienced instructor is allocated per group. They will tailor the outdoor education programme, that will be flexible to adjust to pupil progression and weather.

Costs: As an example, a 5 day fully catered course starts from just £235 per pupil for courses in November – February.

How to Book: Please email info@aretecentre.co.uk or use our contact form. Let us know the time of year, approximate size of course, year group and any aspirations or learning objectives you may have.

All of our activities, including bushcraft, can be booked as a private session for any type of group. Bushcraft is normally combined with one other activity for a full multi-activity day with a canoe journey being the most practical and popular.

Costs: Regardless of activity combinations, £50 per person for a full day of activity, £40 per person for half day of activity. Minimum payment of £200 for a full day or £150 for a half day of activity.

Ratios: We run our courses at low ratios of 1:11 or less to ensure your safety and maximum participation.

Included: Safety kit, wetsuit and / or waterproofs as necessary. Transport can also be provided if you’re staying at Arete Outdoor Centre.

How to Book: Please email info@aretecentre.co.uk or use our contact form. Let us know your preferred date, approximate size of course, year group and any aspirations or learning objectives you may have.

We run Gold DofE Residential courses and Summer Camps during the holidays. Bushcraft can form a part of this 5 day multi-activity course. The accommodation is fully catered. You will meet like-minded individuals and have a great week of adventure.

Do you want to get back to nature? Learn about how to survive in your natural surroundings? Then a bushcraft activity is for you. Sessions involve exploring our natural environment, looking at survival skills. There are opportunities to create shelters, make fires ‘for a purpose’ and join in campsite cooking. Under supervision, they can work with a range of different tools to whittle and work with wood. There are opportunities to spend a night under the stars divvying out or in one of our tipees.
Although it can be done as a stand-alone activity, cooking on a camp fire is a brilliant enhancement to a canoe journey. There are a variety of wonderful places to head to where we can load up the boats, paddle off to a lunch spot and then build and light a fire. As well as being highly educational, who wouldn’t enjoy toasting marshmallows, cooking and eating pancakes, or using a storm kettle to brew up hot chocolate before completing the journey?

ENVIRONMENT

This provides a fantastic opportunity to look at safe and responsible fire lighting and how to ‘leave no trace’ after we have used a particular site. We can look at different trees around and which of the fallen twigs and branches are the best wood for our fire. This can be a perfect introduction to using the natural environment responsibly, to learn about a variety of survival skills, and can also be a great addition for those students who have already gained some experience of this environment through the Forest Schools programme.

COURSES

As with our other activities, bushcraft can be booked by private Adult or Family Groups. Prices start at £195 for two people with each additional person (up to a maximum group size of 10) adding £15 to the cost. Contact us for available dates.
Bushcraft is an integral part of most of our Schools and Youth courses at Arete. Example 5 day catered residential from £235 per pupil.
Combined with a canoe journey, bushcraft could well be integrated into either the multi-activity or water-based Gold DofE Residentials or young persons’ Summer Camps.